Is it permissible to use wet wipes for ablution?

Allah the Exalted says in the Qur'an:

“O you who believe! When you rise to pray, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles.” (Surah al-Ma'idah, 6).

Therefore, the obligatory acts of ablution are washing three body parts (the face, both hands, and both feet) and wiping the head. When washing the hands, the elbows must be included, and when washing the feet, the ankles must be included (al-Hidaya, 1/287).

For ablution to be valid, water must flow over the body parts that are to be washed. If the water does not run off the skin and drip like drops, the ablution is not considered valid. Therefore, when performing ablution with snow in winter, the melted water must flow off the body and drip at least two or more drops. Otherwise, the ablution is not valid. However, according to Imam Abu Yusuf, it is not a condition for the water to drip off the body (Fatawa Hindiyya, 1/53).

In the fiqh and fatwa books of the Hanafi madhhab, it is stated: “If the fingernails are long and cover the tips of the fingers, water must reach under the nails”; “If a ring is tight on the finger, it must be moved or removed during ablution”; “If mud or dough is stuck on a body part that must be washed in ablution or ghusl, water must reach underneath it” (Fatawa Tatarkhaniyya, 1/41). Therefore, it is obligatory that water be poured over the body during ablution.

Regarding the use of paper for istinja (cleaning after relieving oneself), the Egyptian Mufti Dr. Shawqi Allam explains:

“Toilet paper is generally used to absorb, wipe, dry, and clean substances like water, ink, or liquid oil. It is similar to cloth, leather, or cotton that jurists have mentioned for istinja. By analogy with stones, the Shariah permits the use of specially made papers like toilet paper for istinja. Just as stones were widely used in the past, toilet paper is now widely used,” he explains (from the Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah website).

It is makruh (disliked) to use things like bones, dung, or glass for istinja (Fatawa Hindiyya, 1/105).

Therefore, wet wipes are not suitable for ablution, and using them for istinja is considered makruh (disliked).

Prepared by Hasan AMANKUL